Soaps.com Interview With Days of our Lives’ Guy Wilson

Things have been going nonstop for Guy Wilson, Salem's new Will Horton, ever since he got the voicemail to come in and audition for the "Days of our Lives" role. Taking on a legacy character whose previous portrayer Chandler Massey won two Daytime Emmys for playing would be stressful for some, but Wilson has all the confidence he will continue growing and evolving Will in a way that honors his past but embraces a strong future. Wilson took the time to chat with Soaps.com about that fateful audition, how he plans on making Will a force to be reckoned with, and what he does in his free time to stay in such great shape.

Soaps.com: What was the casting process like?

Wilson: It was interesting. It was atypical in a lot of ways, the main one being that I woke up Tuesday morning to find an early voicemail from my agent saying "Guy, call us back right away." I called him back and they said, "We have an appointment for you for a casting over at 'Days.' They want to see you today. Here's eight pages, memorize them, go over there at 3:00 PM. And by the way, you are the only person they are seeing today." I asked what that meant and they had no idea. So I went in there and I didn't even know what I was auditioning for, but I knew casting because I had auditioned for the show in the past, so there was already a rapport there. I went in, did those scenes and did a work session with the executive producers and at that point they sort of hinted that there might be some changes coming and they were considering me for a role. And they kept it pretty close to their chest. Beyond that I didn't know too much, only that it was a big deal. With most auditions, in the first round you are up against anywhere from 20-100 guys. With this one, I was already sort of a front runner, which was actually more nerve-wracking than if there were other guys. I don't know why, but it was.

Soaps.com: We know it was difficult for some fans to see a new face of Will. How was it for you stepping into such a well-established character/storyline?

Wilson: Exciting, but with that excitement a great sense of responsibility because this is a character that is a hallmark to the show. It is not like a new character where I can play with it and put my spin on it. Sure, I can put my own spin on Will Horton, but I also think it is very important to have a very in-depth understanding of where the character comes from, what has made this character who he is. And so that goes back to the responsibility that comes with that. And then when you throw into play the nature of the story and how the story affects people, and how it is setting new precedents for television, daytime and primetime. There is a lot of exciting stuff that comes with it and it all sort of hit me pretty quickly. But I know that I am the man for it. I am ready for it.

Soaps.com: How do you feel you've changed the character? What do you want to carry forth with the role?

Wilson: I think Will is growing up, so I don't feel like he needs to be portrayed as being boyish. He is always going to have boyish qualities because that is just who he is. But I would like to start ushering him in the direction of a greater sense of maturity, sort of a more defined sense of masculinity. Make him more of an alpha male. I think growing up, there was always so much madness around him that so much of Will's life was reactionary. And I would like to move forward with him being more of the action taker, and those around him react to him and what he is doing and what he is thinking instead of the other way around.

Soaps.com: We are very excited that Will said yes to Sonny [Freddie Smith]. What kind of wedding can we look forward to?

Wilson: Sonny and Will, they know what kind of wedding they want to have. With that said, it seems like the moment a couple gets engaged in daytime it is almost a death sentence for the relationship. So our first priority is to get to the altar. The second priority is to get to the wedding, if we can get to the altar. Certainly Sonny and Will, they know what they want. And as an actor I know what I would like for the characters. There is going to be a lot of factors in play.

Soaps.com: What are your passions when you're not working?

Wilson: I like to write. In time I would like to make a living as a writer or to expand the ways in which I can be creative in this industry. So I do that. And I am really into CrossFit. I know that is a trendy thing, but I really love it and I try to work out as much as I can. And I am a pretty big sports fan so I follow sports. Baseball season is coming up and I am a big participant in Fantasy Baseball, which is really just for baseball nerds. So that is a lot of fun for me. Beyond that, just friends and family and trying to get out of Los Angeles when I can to get some fresh air.

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